How the Flame became the Shadow
by Potentis
Summary: He still laughed every time they said they would burn him, but never out loud, and never in front of them. Despite what they thought he wasn't stupid, he just chose to say in the background behind the scenes and in the shadows. Now finally Complete!
1. Sad endings, new beginnings

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**Sad endings, new beginnings.**

He still laughed every time they said they would burn him, but never out loud, and never in front of them. Despite what they thought he wasn't stupid, he just chose to say in the background behind the scenes and in the shadows.

He had been in the spotlight before, on the front lines. Fighting what he had thought was the good fight, and he had burned so bright. Like Icarus when he got too close to the sun, and like Icarus he had fallen. He had fallen so hard he didn't know if he could get up again. But then everything else around him began to crumble and fall, and all he knew was he was running, running from the flames he couldn't possible hope to control. The flames of the Phoenix burned everything it touched. Like all flames he had encountered he could sense them and feel there presence. And he knew they were gaining on him, but he just ran harder and faster until it felt like his lungs and muscles and his very being was burning. Or was that the Phoenix, had the teacher he had always seen as weak finally got to him, had he finally found a flame that would consume him… But no he could feel them receding, fading to embers as the phoenix died. As is fellow mutants and humans alike died around him. But he had survived, and what for. The papers had listed him among the dead that day. And he had never bothered to correct them, he had always believed that that was the day that pyro died. It was time for him to stay out of the spotlight and to recede into the shadows, and that is how he got his new alter ego. The Shadow walker.

Being among the brotherhood of mutants had taught him many things, a lot of them illegal. The most useful of them was hacking. He had found that despite his supposed bad boy delinquent persona, that he was really quite talented with computers. Maybe not up to Beast's level but he could defiantly whop Kitty Prides butt any day. He loved the anonymity of it all, how he could hide behind the lines of code like a mask. Away from the rest of the world that had forgotten him and his kind. He hated to admit it but he was probably one of the only dangerous mutants left in the world, he had tried searching for more but they were gone.

They had called it the cleansing. The cure had been distributed over every major city in aerosol form. It looked like they were crop dusting people. They had said they were helping them, besides it's not like they were actually killing the mutants, merely curing them. At least that's what the news said, and with Magneto and Xavier Gone there was no one left to organise any proper resistance. Oh the X-men fought bravely, Storm and Wolverine put up a good fight. He even heard that a bunch from the institute got away but the brother hood was gone, he knew that much for certain. And no matter how lonely he felt he knew he couldn't go back to the X-Men. He was no longer John just like he was no longer Pyro.

So he erased himself, he died his hair to a darker shade and grew it longer so that parts of his fringe hid his face. He grew a scruffy beard that wasn't much more than stubble and started to wear glasses to help hide his face. He even changed his outfit from the tough rebel army look, to the sake boy slacker look. And he hacked into every computer system he could find, erasing as much evidence on St John Allerdyce or Pyro that he could. Apart from his official death records and a few news reports very little could now be found on who he used to be. And as he got more and more practiced at hacking he got more and more confident, syphoning money from hundreds of bank accounts around the world. And as his confidence grew, he began to find himself again. He was no longer Pyro the cocky Fire starter. He was Shadow walker the cocky Hacker genius. And he probably would have stayed that way too if he hadn't been provoked.

It was the second year anniversary of the cleansing and the president gave a speech about how glad he was that a major catastrophe had been averted. How he was glad they were able to cure such a terrible affliction, and then he smiled. Not a charming smile like you would expect, but a slimy smug self-satisfied smile of a bully who just beat up the smallest kid in the playground. He got so angry that he turned the couch he was sitting on into ash. He wanted to burn them the burn them all, but he was no longer the irrational hot head he used to be. He knew if he went in the hands blazing that he would be overwhelmed. That they would kill him, lock him up and experiment on him. Or worse they would cure him. But he had a new skill now. One he knew could be even more devastating. The government was going to suffer the wrath of Shadow Walker.

He laughed with glee as he watched everyone in the pentagon run around in panic. As far as they knew they were being attacked by a nuclear bomb, a force 5 hurricane and the new mutant army all at once, it was as he was laughing at them that he didn't notice the counter hack they were using to trace where he was. He managed to cross two States before they finally caught up with him. But even as they surrounded him with their guns he didn't pull out his lighter, he was smart enough to know that they would shoot him on sight if he used his powers now. He was going to bide his time and look for his chance to escape, if being on the run for most of his life had taught him anything. It was that they always let their guard down at some point. But he never managed to find out, he was only in prison about a week before they got their claws into him, before he became a recruit for division, when his new name joined another list of the dead.


	2. Death Overhead

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**Death overhead.**

He was not afraid to admit that when he first work up he panicked a bit, anyone would have if they woke up surrounded by concrete walls and nameless people and no windows. His lighter was gone and there was nothing in sight that could create a flame or even burn. Was this a special prison just for him, like the one they had locked magneto up in? A tall white haired man walked in, exuding power. But he knew it was because he owned this place not because he had any powers, he could always recognise the difference between mutant and human.

"Mr. Seymour Birkhoff, AKA the Shadow Walker. You're a very talented young man, managed to cause quite a fuss over at the pentagon." He said with a heavy even tone.

He hated it when he called him Seymour. Out of all the fake identity's he had created for himself, and the one FBI had to trace him back to him was the one with a name like Seymour Birkhoff. But even as he mentioned that annoying name he couldn't help but feel relief, although he quickly hid it. He wasn't here because of his activities as Pyro, he was here because of his a activities as Shadow Walker.

"I don't know what your talking about I am innocent." He said, knowing that he would never believe him but then it was all part of the game deny everything ever though they know your lying.

"Come now Mr. Birkhoff, we both know that isn't true. We both know that you are the hacker Shadow Walker and we both know that you are very talented, too talented to rot in jail. We would like to offer you a second chance, a chance to serve your country." He said with a dangerous smile, Magneto used to give him a smile like that. And just like that he knew he was trapped.

They let him have his lighter back. He was back to a Zippo Lighter after his gantlets where destroyed at Alcatraz, it wasn't the shark one he used to have but then he couldn't carry something so obvious from his past around with him. But it was still a small consolation to the fact that they wouldn't let him see the sun until he had passed all their tests. He got to know the key players all around him and he found out that the dynamic wasn't that different to how it had been in the brotherhood. Percy was a less powerful boss than Magneto but he still ruled with power and lies, always having a master plan that was never fully revealed until the end. He respected him for that, but he was still more wary of him than he was of Magneto, because despite him being less powerful than Magneto he was somewhat much more unhinged. Amanda was a bit like Mystique, always playing mind games with everyone and more interchangeable masks and personas than he could keep track of. And despite the uneasy relationship he had with Mystique he still respected her, something he could not do with Amanda. Maybe it was the fact that she worked so hard to gain power rather than actually working for a cause like Mystique did, but the main reason was probably because she banned him from clicking his lighter on and off all the time. She said it was a destructive habit that he used to annoy and intimidate people around him. Like the sound of her heels clacking as she approached people was any different. Then there was Michael, what a guy like him was doing in a place like this he didn't know but he was one of the only half way decent and honest loyal guys in this place, which is probably the reason why Percy chose to use him as his right hand man. He was the least likely person in this place that would stab him in the back.

A position that he didn't envy, he had every reason to stay in the background but still make himself indispensable. He couldn't let them know what he was, in a place like Division that would be suicide. A place where they constantly held the treat of death over your head, not that he was scared. He was used to being around dangerous people who wanted to kill him, he just did what he always did. Acted over confident and cocky if font of the low level grunts, and showed just the right amount of fear to the higher ups to make them feel safe and in control. The resident assassins got on his nerves to no end, they saw him as the nerd and often tried to threaten and intimidate him. But what the big trained killers didn't know was that to him they were the small weak ones. He was more dangerous than they could ever hope to be. So when they growl and beared there teeth at him for mocking there intelligence he would just smirk back at them.

And despite what he had told himself in the beginning about escaping, division was starting to grow on him. He had been alone for so long and had been doing so much just for himself, he had lost his cause and he still felt the need to be a part of something bigger than himself. To make a difference, perhaps this was really like what Percy had said it was, a second chance. At least that's what he began to tell himself, that was untill he met her.

A girl like any other.

She was the most beautiful girl in the room, and the way she carried herself made sure she would be the most stunning in any room. And the look in her eyes as she studied those around her just screamed dangerous. And Birkhoff knew, he knew as soon as he saw her that she was special.

"A truly rare and unique specimen isn't she." Percy said as he walked into the operation overlooking the training room where she was currently fighting with extraordinary grace.

"Yes, she's quite beautiful." Birkhoff said there was no use in denying it now that he had been caught staring.

"Oh she's much more than that." He said with knowing.

Just then the instructor dealt her a particularly nasty blow and she through him right across the room. Shocking everyone within view, and then he knew why she was so special.

"She's a mutant." Birkhoff said out loud before he realised.

"Good eye Birkhoff, have you dealt with mutants before." He said with a raised eyebrow, always suspicious.

"Umm not personally but I used to know someone who used to know people, you know before the cleansing." He said wishing to have Percy's gaze directed elsewhere.

"Ahh yes such a terrible and tragic event, and just a bad decision by the government in general if you ask me." Percy said surprising Birkhoff.

"Really?" Birkhoff asked.

"Yes, they made such perfect weapons." He said with a smile. And with that smile Birkhoff lost all respect he had gained for Percy.

"I thought all the mutants were gone." Birkhoff said, playing dumb.

"Oh almost all of them are yes, but a very small few survived and not many with power enough to be a threat to anyone, she is one of those exceptions." He said to himself with pride.

"And now she works for you." Birkhoff said as he gritted his teeth.

"No, now she's part of division." He said.

"It's the same thing isn't it." Birkhoff almost spat.

"Yes I suppose it is." Percy smirked.

"What's her name?" Birkhoff asked.

"Excuse me?" Percy said slightly distracted by his own thoughts.

"Her name, what is her name?" Birkhoff said barley able to hide his emotions any more at the thought of Percy using a fellow mutant for his own agendas.

"Her name is Sally but she likes to go by the call sign Swift." Percy said as if her name was just an afterthought to the actual prize of catching a Mutant.


	3. A Girl Like any Other

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**A Girl like any other.**

She was the most beautiful girl in the room, and the way she carried herself made sure she would be the most stunning in any room. And the look in her eyes as she studied those around her just screamed dangerous. And Birkhoff knew, he knew as soon as he saw her that she was special.

"A truly rare and unique specimen isn't she." Percy said as he walked into the operation overlooking the training room where she was currently fighting with extraordinary grace.

"Yes, she's quite beautiful." Birkhoff said there was no use in denying it now that he had been caught staring.

"Oh she's much more than that." He said with knowing.

Just then the instructor dealt her a particularly nasty blow and she through him right across the room. Shocking everyone within view, and then he knew why she was so special.

"She's a mutant." Birkhoff said out loud before he realised.

"Good eye Birkhoff, have you dealt with mutants before." He said with a raised eyebrow, always suspicious.

"Umm not personally but I used to know someone who used to know people, you know before the cleansing." He said wishing to have Percy's gaze directed elsewhere.

"Ahh yes such a terrible and tragic event, and just a bad decision by the government in general if you ask me." Percy said surprising Birkhoff.

"Really?" Birkhoff asked.

"Yes, they made such perfect weapons." He said with a smile. And with that smile Birkhoff lost all respect he had gained for Percy.

"I thought all the mutants were gone." Birkhoff said, playing dumb.

"Oh almost all of them are yes, but a very small few survived and not many with power enough to be a threat to anyone, she is one of those exceptions." He said to himself with pride.

"And now she works for you." Birkhoff said as he gritted his teeth.

"No, now she's part of division." He said.

"It's the same thing isn't it." Birkhoff almost spat.

"Yes I suppose it is." Percy smirked.

"What's her name?" Birkhoff asked.

"Excuse me?" Percy said slightly distracted by his own thoughts.

"Her name, what is her name?" Birkhoff said barley able to hide his emotions any more at the thought of Percy using a fellow mutant for his own agendas.

"Her name is Sally but she likes to go by the call sign Swift." Percy said as if her name was just an afterthought to the actual prize of catching a Mutant.


	4. A First Meeting

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**A first meeting.**

Birkhoff started pacing up and down in what he liked to call his lair, which was basically his office there at division, a large room full of hardware and a few personal touches. He would have called it a basement but the whole of Division was basically a basement any way. It hadn't taken long for them to promote him to agent status and practically put him in charge of operations despite how young he was. They didn't send him on any missions though which he was both relived and annoyed about he needed to have as little exposure as he could but he still wanted to get out there and do something. Right now he was trying to figure out what he was going to do about Swift.

Birkhoff had found out that Swifts power wasn't super strength but Telekinesis. Nothing near to throwing a truck at someone, but she could do some of the most delicate tasks with what she did have. Manipulating complex objects and machines as well as allowing her to move faster, jump higher and hit harder. She also had a slight empathetic power, she could sense other people's emotions and influence them. This was particularly good for sensing danger before it happened. Either way with the right training that combination of powers cold make her even more dangerous than she already was. And despite working for them he didn't trust them, not when it came to his fellow mutant.

"Birkhoff!" Percy barked startling him.

"Yes." Birkhoff said as he quickly composed him self.

"Amanda wants too see you in her office. We are going to test out the new lie detector device." He said as he turned around and walked off, not bothering to see if he was following.

He quickly tidied him self up as he walked behind Percy, it did not do to let Amanda see him as more of a mess than usual. She pounced on any weakness. He was especially grateful that Amanda didn't notice his intake in breath when he saw the Recruit they would be interrogating. He was even more grateful that while Percy and Amada were talking that they didn't notice him consciously brush his hair around to help hide his face, and quickly move behind the screen of the computer. He could only hope that she didn't know who he was. Despite how the rest of the world had forgotten about Pyro, someone in the mutant community might sill recognise him.

"Are we ready." Amanda asked.

"Just about." Birkhoff replied never moving his head from behind the screen.

" Do you know what this is Sally?" Amanda said as clacked her high heels to stand over her.

Sally just looked at her with what Birkhoff thought was a perfect scowl.

"This is an FMIR machine it reads brain waves interpreting the emotions to tell whether you are telling the truth or not. It is more accurate than an ordinary lie detector tests because it doesn't use the regulation of your heartbeat but reads exactly what you are thinking. Perhaps we will finally get some straight answers from you." Amanda smirked showing just for a brief moment her true side. This girl must have really gotten on her nerves.

"Now Sally.." Amanda began.

"I told you my names not Sally it's Swift." Swift said with a scowl.

"Tell me do you know where any more Mutants are? Sally…" Amanda said getting straight to the point and ignoring her request.

Birkhoff panicked, he just hoped that she didn't know anything. He couldn't allow Division to get their hands on any more mutants. But he couldn't just change the results there in front of both Percy and Amanda.

"I don't know what you're talking about we are an extinct race, I thought an intelligence agency like yourself would know that." She said with a smug smile.

Birkhoff looked at the reading hoping and praying for the reading to come up true.

"Ha True." Brikhoff exclaimed a little too loudly.

"Impossible!" Amanda spat.

"Oh, also Percy is really a big fluffy bunny rabbit in disguise, and Amanda's real name is Darth Vader, and I am really just a figment of your imagination created by your subconscious to confuse and annoy you." Swift said with another smirk.

Birkhoff looked at the readings on the screen and said with a very surprised look "True."

"What?" Both Percy and Amanda said in disbelief, Birkhoff pulled his don't look at me I can't explain look. And Amanda clacked her heels straight over and slapped Sally right across the face.

"Oh come now Amanda that was funny wasn't it. Go on give us a smile." She said, and to everyone in the rooms surprise Amanda giggled. Birkhoff had never seen Amada genuinely smile before and somehow she almost looked normal. And if today wasn't already a time for firsts Amanda's expression also showed an emotion he had never seen before, one of fear.

"I am a Mutant who can influence emotions do you think you are ever going to get a proper read on me Amanda, even with your new toy." Swift said as she stared down Amanda.

"We are not finished, Percy a word please." Amanda said as they left the room.

With them gone now was his chance to talk to her to warn her, with enough luck he could change the security footage later. He couldn't sit by any longer even if she did recognise him.

"Look if you keep pushing it's only going to come back and bite you in the end, Amanda is most likely trying to convince Percy to cancel you right now." Birkhoff said.

"And by cancel you mean kill me." Swift said coldly.

"Yes." Birhoff said sadly realising that she might actually die, and that she really didn't recognise him. But then he doubted anyone from the past would. He was so much weaker, and in a word tame.

"So what would you have me do betray my own kind." Swift spat.

"No, look everything in this place is a game or a test. You don't need to let them win. Just let them think they have won. Make them think they finally broke you then admit to being all alone, put some pity and sadness and a little venerability into it and they will eat it up." Birkhoff said with hope. Swift stared at him for a while before answering.

"Why are you helping me, you say everything in here is a test, how do I know this isn't a test." She said.

Brikhoff tried to think of a way to explain him self in a way that would make her trust him without blowing his secret. But in the end he just froze up and said the fist honest thing that came to mind.

"You can't." he said in almost a whisper.

You can't… Was that really all he could say? Shit how was he supposed to get her to trust him if he basically admitted she couldn't.

"What's your name?" She said.

"Birkhoff, Seymour Birkhoff." He said winching at his embarrassing first name.

"What's your real name Birkhoff?" She said with a smile.

Birkhoff couldn't help but smile back, he remembered when magneto asked him the same question, and he knew it was a sign of understanding and trust.

"Shadow Walker." He said with an impish grin.

That's when he heard Amanda clear her thought behind him. The colour drained for his face, how much had she heard.

"Could I speak with you a moment Birkhoff." Amanda said in her sickly sweet voice.

"Yeah sure." He said with a weak smile as he pulled his lighter out from his pocket holding it in a death grip, he was ready for her.


	5. A Different Approach

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**A Different Approach.**

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Amanda said with venom.

He stood there in stony silence, if Swift had shown him anything it was that Amanda was still human. And she still had weaknesses.

"What is going on?" Percy asked his eyebrows raised, he was no doubt interested in what the normally non-confrontive Birkhoff had done to get Amanda so riled up.

"He is undermining my work with Sally." Amanda said in frustration.

Birhoff remained silent anything he said would only cause more trouble. This was a wait, watch and react when appropriate type of moment.

"What did you do?" Percy asked really intrigued now.

Birkhoff opened his lighter ready for a fight. Neither of them reacted to this, but then neither of them would know what type of danger this meant. They thought it was just a nervous tick he had developed to calm his nerves.

"He encouraged her to use the name swift. He even told her his stupid hacker name was his real name. I have spent countless hours trying to get her to identify with her real name and this is counter productive. How do we expect her to associate with us if she continues to distance her self from people with this fake name?" Amanda said her eyes blazing.

Birkhoff couldn't help but smile. She hadn't heard the rest of the conversation so both he and Swift would be safe for now.

"You have obviously never worked with mutants before have you." Birkhoff spat overconfident from not being found out, but he would have to be extra careful when tampering with the security footage. Percy was bound to check it now.

"Why do you say that?" Percy said.

"Because the name Swift isn't a way for her to distance her self, it's a way to reinvent herself. Swift is her Mutant name. Mutants are often shunned ridiculed and persecuted even by their own family. That is why so many of them are runaways. And that is why every Mutant has a Mutant name, it's a way to take control over their lives and start fresh. To declare there independence from the rest of society as a mutant, and the persecution and exclusion from humans she has suffered is exactly what you are reminding her of when you call her Sally." Birkhoff said with a smug smile.

"I see so calling her Sally makes her feel segregated and like she is unwanted and can't have a home here." Amanda said her anger at Birkhoff forgotten for the moment with this new information.

"You seem to know a lot about Mutants Mr Birkhoff." Percy said as he studied him like a new and interesting puzzle.

Birkhoff culched onto his lighter a bit tighter as he forced his rising panic down, he couldn't show weakness in fount of these people.

"Like I said, I used to know someone who knew people in the mutant world." Birkhoff said, trying to keep his lies as simple as possible while also keeping his supposed knowledge base and exosphere on Mutants to a minimum.

"Well maybe we should get him to help us with a profile. " Amanda said with a smirk.

"You can't." Birkhoff said.

"And why not? "Amanda said as she eyed him dangerously.

"Like everyone else in the mutant world he's dead." Birkhoff spat back.

"Well then I suppose you will have to do." Percy said.

"Waite, what?" Birkhoff said with a confused look.

"We need someone who understands Mutant's. As most of those people are either dead or in hiding what little you know will have to do. Congratulations Birkhoff you get to deal with your first recruit." Percy said with a conspiring grin.

"Oh no, no, no, no!... Not a chance." Birkhoff said. He had warned her, but that didn't mean he wanted any more exosphere to the girl. That would only put him and her at risk.

"Why not Birkhoff you were looking quite friendly when I came in." Amanda said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but that was limited exosphere when she was tied to a chair, if you haven't noticed she ain't no ordinary recruit. She has actual superpowers man!..." Birkhoff said as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Yes which is exactly why we would like to try everything we can to turn her rather than have to cancel her." Percy said.

Birkhoffs expression sobered up at the mention of cancelling her.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Birkhoff said.

"Come now Birkhoff whatever made you think you had a choice in the first place." Percy said as he smiled and griped him on the shoulder.


	6. Less Than Ten

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

Thank you so much for those of you who reviewed, sorry I haven't replied or posted in a while. But I really appreciate what all of you have said. And as for why only some of the mutants have there powers, It is because the government's of the world attacked all the cities the few that were in hiding or underground Like Pyro were missed, and those that were strong and a serious threat were specifically targeted. So it is basically only a few weak ones left apart from Pyro and Swift. :)

**Less than Ten. **

"Come on Swift if you can't do this in the real world it could get you killed." Birkhoff said in frustration as he ran his hand trough his hair wanting to pull it out at the same time.

"But this is boring.. And stupid." Swift said with a pout.

"Says the girl who can't do it." Birkhoff said with a smirk.

"Oh I can do it!" Swift said with indignation.

"Ok fine access the file in less than ten seconds." Birkhoff said with a smug smile.

Swift like her name quickly grabbed Birkhoff by the throat using her telekineses to pin him there and her influence on emotions to scare him.

"Accesses the file now." She said in a low growl.

Birkhoff instantly accessed the file with a quick but precise clattering of his fingers across the keyboard.

"There see I did it in nine." Swift said with a smirk as she let go of Birkhoff.

Birkhoff rubbed his neck before he crossed his arms in defiance and with a smirk said.

"Good now do it by your self."

Swift couldn't help but smile back at him, he was the only one who didn't stay scared of her after she pulled a trick like that. With so few mutants left in the world everyone saw her as strange and unnatural. Birkhoff was the only one nice enough and wilful enough to tell them off, he said she was rare and unique.

"And why would I need to do it again." She said as she pretended to check her nails.

"Because like I said if you can't do this out in the field it could get you killed." Birkhoff said the smirk falling from his face for a second as he said it. Not enough for anyone else to notice but Swift was faster than most on the uptake, especially when it came to emotions and especially when it came to Birkhoff.

"Aww you do care about me." She said as she dramatically fluttered her eyelashes.

"No I care about myself, if you don't get this I am the one who gets shouted at." He said with another arrogant smirk to hide the emotion in his voice. But even he didn't believe that last statement, and he knew he couldn't fool Swift like he did everyone else.

"Fine…" She said as she quickly typed on the keyboard and accessed the file.

"There did it in 8" She said with a smirk to match his own.


	7. Good Guy's and Bad Guy's

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**Good Guy's and Bad Guy's. **

If anyone had been watching Birkhoff as he walked down one of the dark twisting halls of division they would have seen him pull a disappearing act. Where he was there one second and gone the next, and if they had looked really closely they would have noticed a quite comical look on his face as he was quickly pulled into the next room.

"What the hell!?" Birkhoff said with indignation before he saw who had pulled him out of the hall, or more importantly the worried look on Swift's face.

"What wrong?" He said as he gently cupped her face. He had become quite close to her, and even though he hadn't let her in on his secret he had let her into his heart. And she had helped show him that he wasn't Pyro or John or Birkhoff or even Shadow walker but it was a mixture of all of them that helped make up who he was.

"I am about to graduate and I can't do it I just can't." She said her eyes wet with tears.

Birkhoff quickly and vainly looked around the room for video cameras or listening devices he knew Swift would never let her emotions show like this if someone else could see it, but he knew you could never be too careful. Especially with what Swift had just said. He took a big breath thinking carefully about what he was about to say next. How did you tell someone you loved that they needed to kill someone? Officially according to division he had never killed anyone he had been to valuable to put on the front lines so to speak. But from his past he knew what it was like to kill, he had killed in cold blood and in the heat of the moment, with anger, with pity and revenge and sometimes no emotion at all. He was just following orders by the end of it.

"Look I know it's hard to take a life but the people division target are dangerous, they are dangerous to this country and if you hesitate they will be dangerous to even someone with your ability's. And when you get right down to it they are the bad guys and we are the good guys. Division wouldn't target them otherwise." Birkhoff said as he griped her shoulders reassuringly.

"But that's just it Birkhoff they want me to kill a good guy." She said with hopelessness.

"What do you mean? " Birkhoff said surprised.

"They want me to kill Spiderman." She said in barley a whisper, so faint Birkhoff could hardly believe what he heard.

"Waite.. What?..." Birkhoff sputtered. "That can't be..?" he said in disbelief.

"They said because of my ability to influence emotions and swift fighting moves combined with telekinesis I am the best one to combat against his Spidey sense and acrobatic fighting style. And I know he's gotten the worst press out of everyone but I know he's a good guy, one of the few truly good guys left. And I can't kill a good guy Shadow I just can't. I would rather die." She said as she grasped him in a tight hug burying her tearstained face into his chest.

Birkhoff for once in his life was silent he just didn't know what to say, he normally felt that way when she called him by her pet name but now was different. He knew Spiderman was a good guy he was one of the few people in the hero world who hadn't judged mutants, and one of the fewer still who knew what it was like to be unjustly judged. It was when he began to feel Swift's tears soak through his shirt and cool against his skin that he finally found his voice.

"Then we will just have to leave." He said in a rather matter of fact way considering the situation they were in.

"Are we just stating things we can't do or have you gone mad?" Swift said as she gave him a disbelieving look.

"Come on Swift Haven't I always told you that I own this place. And with your abilities and my brains we can pretty much go anywhere." He said with a self confidant smile.

"But they would kill you if you ever left and this is your only home. You would relay risk all that and leave this place for me?" She said.

"Of course I can't leave you alone in the world, the world just wouldn't cope." He said with a smile as he tucked a stay strand of hair behind her ear.

And for once the girl who had a comeback for everything couldn't say anything, her only reply was to stand on her toes and kiss him.


	8. The Escape

I love Nikita and X-Men and this idea just kind of stuck with me, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**The Escape. **

The plan was brilliant, he knew it was. He had spent hours that had amounted to days, and days that amounted to weeks planning their escape. But he still couldn't help but shake the uneasiness that came with going against a powerful opponent as Division. But then he had been fooling them for this long already, and he was dangerous as well. Something he was both thankful for and ashamed of. The thing that caused him the most unease was the thought of telling Swift the truth about his past. He knew he had to especially if they were going to go on the run together. But if the thought of having to kill a hero was able to break down her strong emotional barriers what would finding out that he used to be one of the bad guys do to her. He shook his head in frustration. Dwelling on what might be was distracting him from the here and now which could get him and Swift killed.

They were going to go through with the mission if only to warn Spiderman, and if all went well fake Swifts death. It had been quite simple to plan really. People died in superhero fights all the time, even the mission was classified as extremely high risk. Not something that would usually be used as a recruit's graduation. It wouldn't take much to convince Division that something somewhere went wrong. The tricky part was convincing Swift to let him stay behind in operations. She had almost been inconsolable at the thought of him being left behind. Well as inconsolable as she could be once her emotional defences were back up. But Birkhoff knew he needed to be there to erase the evidence and tie up any of the lose ends, he had made himself disappear before he could easily do it again.

Time seemed to move impossibly fast. The big mission didn't sneak up on him, but rather ran up behind him and took a swing at him with a crowbar. Events seemed to skip, one moment Swift was getting ready the next she was in the field. And Birkhoff was finding himself unconsciously holding his breath from time to time.

"I have tracked Spiderman to the warehouse outside of the city. He fell for our trap hook line and even the kitchen sink." Swift said over the comms.

"That's not how the line goes." Birkhoff joked with her.

"Well tough because that's how it goes now." Swift shot back. This calmed him somewhat they were talking as if it was any other mission.

"Poor visibility, switching to night vision." Swift said as she entered the dilapidated warehouse. Birkhoff watched in anticipation as he saw the world on his screen turn green.

"Target approaching the package. Influencing his emotion to perceive it as harmless." Swift lied. She was actually influencing his emotions to perceive danger she only hoped he realised she was trying to warn him not harm him. It only took a slight push before he turned around and looked at her, how he could possibly see her through the dark she didn't know. But he was most definitely looking right at her. "Crap his Spider sense must be stronger that we thought he found me!" She whispered into the mic hoping he couldn't hear her as well.

"Are you sure.?" Percy asked over the comms.

"Yes he's looking right at me." Swift almost spat.

"That's impossible it's pitch black in there." Birkhoff said.

"Crap he's swinging right for me." Swift said.

"Engage target, I repeat engage target." Percy all but shouted through the comms.

Swift jumped through the air using her telekinesis to make her fly further and stop quicker without breaking any bones. But Spiderman reacted in the air before she even landed changing his course with his webbing and anticipating her moves. This was the advantage of the spider sense. Swift had no doubt in her mind that if she didn't go all out that she would be defeated before she even got to put her plan into action. She only hoped she would be able to warn him so that he didn't think she was one of the bad guys. The fight lasted longer than it should have, longer than she planned but she was going all out and all she had managed to do was block his attacks as he blocked hers. Neither of them had traded any blows yet. It was now or never, she purposely destroyed her camera and mike in what she hoped looked like accident so that Division didn't know what was going to happen next. Then she saw her opening, she influenced his emotions so he couldn't see it coming and punched him in the throat. Not enough to kill him but enough to make him stop and listen for a bit.

"Look.. Stop! I am on your side. I don't want to hurt you." Swift said a bit out of breath.

"Cough ..cough.. You could have fooled me!?" Spiderman said as he regained his voice.

"Yeah well you're a heavy weight. If I go easy on you I am likely to lose my head." She said still out of breath. "Now listen very carefully because what I am about to say next could save both our lives."

Birkhoff couldn't help but bite his nails, he wasn't supposed to draw any attention to himself but he figured any one watching a superhero battle like this who was supposed to have no powers of their own would show some nervousness. It took all of his will power to stay in the operations van and not go running out there to help swift in the fight. He was sure if he joined the fight they would win in no time but that wasn't the plan and Spiderman wasn't the enemy. Swift was supposed to look like she was struggling that she might lose possibly even die it was all part of the plan, but to him it looked like she was struggling a bit too realistically. Then they went dark, the video and audio feed was cut in during the fight. And for a moment everyone in the van held there breath, even Birkhoff. _Clam down its all part of the plan._ He said to himself. But he still wished he knew what was going on.

"What was that!" Percy shouted.

"I don't know!" Birkoff shouted back.

"Well get it back up we need eyes on this people." Percy barked.

"I can't Birkoff." Siad.

"Why not!" Percy shouted.

"This equipment was not designed to survive a superhero battle! We are for all intensive purposes blind." Birkoff said.

Percy stood there his jaw tight and his face stoic as he contemplated his options.

"Blow the building." He said.

"Waite what!? NO..! Swifts still in there." Birkhoff shouted. When did they wire the building to explode? How could he have missed this information?

"I know such a waste." Percy said with a sigh, "she would have been a truly valuable asset."

Birkhoff was about to lung at Percy and strangle him when he saw the building bust into flames on the outside monitors. For the first time in his life he was not happy to see a flame, he didn't feel safe in its presence like he so often did before. And before anyone could stop him he was out of the van running.

"I can stop it I know I can." He said to himself.

The whole building was on fire when he reached it. He could feel it in his very bones. He had never tried to control a flame this large but he had to try. He focused as hard as he could. For a moment nothing happened, but then the smoke began to thin and the flames started to recede and he could get a little closer to the inferno. His nose started to bleed but he didn't notice, he didn't even care he just pushed harder. He gave a little laugh when he saw that he was succeeding. Ice man wouldn't stand a chance against him now. _Just a bit further_. He thought. Just a bit further and he could save them he knew he could. Then everything went black.

"Holy crap.!" The Division operative that had knocked Birkhoff unconscious said. "How the hell did he manage to get so close to this thing?" He said as he dragged him away from the building, the flames suddenly intensifying there heat now almost blinding them.

"I don't know? But we were lucky, the amount of fuel and explosives they packed into this place the blasé should be twice as big." His partner said as he helped drag the unconscious Birkhoff away.

**(Almost finished yay hope you have enjoyed it)**


	9. Epilogue

I know i know you thought I was dead, but hey now my story is finally finished ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Nikkita or X-men I wish I did but until I take over the world I still don't own anything.

**Epilogue.**

"Well that was a disaster." Amanda said as she smirked at Percy.

"Oh don't look so smug Amanda it doesn't suit you." Percy said as he poured him self another drink from the wet bar of his expensive underground office.

"Well this only proves what I have been saying all along, fraternization between Division operatives is dangerous. We should ban any romantic interaction altogether." Amanda said with a self satisfied voice dropping the smug look from her face only slightly.

"Yes I suppose your right. We almost lost two of our most valuable operatives instead of one. Speaking of which how is Mr Birkoff, is he still not speaking?" Percy asked.

"Well not to me at least I have asked Michael to speak with him, you do realize we can no longer trust him like we used to. He will need to be kept on a very short leash." Amanda said.

"Yes I suspect things will only get harder for Seymour Birkhoff." Percy said.

Birkhoff was sulking in the corner of the training room watching the recruits beat the crap out of each other. It had been three weeks and he hadn't heard anything from Swift. He had left her with several ways to covertly contact him. And yet he hadn't even heard a whisper of her survival. Spider man was out and about, but all news reports confirmed the nameless mutant terrorist as dead. Not that he trusted the news, anyone foolish enough to call Swift a terrorist deserved his scorn. Unlike him Swift was one of the irrefutable good guys. And yet she was called nameless and apart from him no one would ever know her name or her true nature. He should just leave he thought, nothing was keeping him here anymore it's not as if they could really hold him here.

He stiffened in anticipation as someone sat down next to him every muscle in his body tensed up ready for action, if they wanted a fight he would give them one they wouldn't forget.

"Hey." The voice said.

Birkhoff relaxed when he recognized the voice as Michael's. He was the only good man in this place, something that always seemed to contradict the anger behind his eyes. But then they always found a way to manipulate people here, so even a good man like Michael was used for bad deeds.

"Look I know how you feel.." Michael began. "No! No you don't! You don't know how I feel you couldn't even begin to imagine how I feel…!" Birkhoff spat before falling silent clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white and hoping he wouldn't punch the only good guy he knew. Swift wouldn't have liked that. "You feel shredded like you want to crush those responsible for destroying the one good thing in your life. The one thing that made you a good man, now all that's left is the anger and hate and all the bad things that went away when they were around." Michael said in a hunted voice. Birkhoff just looked at him with a mixture of curiosity, shock and understanding, maybe he did know what he felt.

"Do you know the reason why I am working for Division?" Michael said. Birkhoff just shook his head, now that he thought about it he couldn't think of a reason why Michael was working for Division.

"I too lost those people I care about, the ones that made me a good man. My family to be exact my loving wife and my beautiful little girl. And right now Division is helping me get justice for their deaths. Now you can't avenge her death I won't allow anything that gets in the way of my justice. And they most definitely won't allow you to cross them." He said indicating to Percy and Amanda watching them from a distance.

"Just because you're valuable to them don't think they won't hesitate to get rid of you if you cause too much trouble. They are too big and too powerful for you to go up against, and it will only get you killed. And how will that help you honor her memory. What you can do is make sure it doesn't happen again. Look out for the recruits we still have, and the ones we will have. That's how I honor my family's memory in this den full of snakes and it is how you can honor Swifts." Michael said with finality, he had said his peace. He had been honest and he wasn't going to Push Birkhoff just lay out the facts for him. It was something he was grateful for he had enough of people manipulating him for a lifetime.

He could wipe them all out if he wanted to but Michael was right how would that honor her memory, that would just make him one of the bad guys again. A lot of these recruits would die in the cross fire and they were innocent. Well innocent compared to him at least. Not to mention they would start Division up again, it was too popular right now not to. Another time another place somewhere else he couldn't get to it, what if they captured more mutants and he wasn't here. Who would protect them, he would have to be careful they would never truly trust him again. But then again he didn't need their trust. He just needed too keep access to their system. If he was careful he could make sure they never got another mutant again. That was how he would fight them, that was how he would honor her memory.

Just then a short skinny girl walked up to them.

"Hey Michael who's your friend?" She said with a cheeky smile that was painfully similar to swifts.

"Nikkita this is Birkhoff head of systems for division. Birkhoff this is Nikkita the new recruit's regular trouble maker." Michael said with a sigh.

"Ohh shuck's.. Flattery will get you everywhere." She said as she fluttered her eyelashes at Michael, a little to close to actually flirting and not near enough to just be joking.

"So dose the Nerd wanna fight." She said with her cheeky grin again that showed she wasn't actually insulting him.

"Please you couldn't handle this." He said gesturing to himself as he gave back and equally cheeky grin.

"Haha sure hon." She said with a playful wink that was most defiantly on the joking side of things.

"He's not fighting today." Michael annoyingly cut in and said with finality.

"Shame all these other guys are boring, see you later Mikey…" She said as she playfully stretched out his name walking away with a bit of a swagger.

"She seems Friendly." Birkhoff said as he nudged Michael.

"Yeah but Percy and Amanda don't think so, your not the only one being watched right now you know." Michael said as he saw Amanda and Percy's eyes follow Nikkita back to the training mats he jaw set, the only sign that showed he was worried.

"Well like you said we will just have to look out for her." He said as he put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Maybe he wouldn't just look out for the mutant's maybe he would look out for the normal's too. Wasn't that what the good guys did?


End file.
